


The Olkari

by H_Faith_Marr



Series: Paladin Diversity [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Actual Adviser Coran, Altean Lance (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Race Changes, BAMF Coran (Voltron), BAMF Pidge | Katie Holt, Balmeran Hunk (Voltron), Dark, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Fluff, Ex-Spy Coran, Galra Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Imprisonment, Insecure Keith (Voltron), Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Olkari Pidge | Katie Holt, POV Pidge | Katie Holt, Pillow & Blanket Forts, Protective Coran (Voltron), Protective Hunk (Voltron), Protective Pidge | Katie Holt, Protective Shiro (Voltron), Space Dad Coran (Voltron), some ooc elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 20:43:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17190068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/H_Faith_Marr/pseuds/H_Faith_Marr
Summary: The Half-Breed from Pidge's point of view.[ON HAITUS]





	1. From Planet-Bound To… Whatever This Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of how Pidge found the Green Lion and the Castle of Lions, and her first encounter with the Galra half-breed that ended up saving her life. Takes place during ‘First Contact’ and ‘Hurt and Helpless’ of _The Half-Breed._

Be the youngest genius to become one of the Olkari Council of Intelligence? Check

Find and track a unique energy source to an uninhabited planet covered in disgustingly dense vegetation? Check.

Be the first sentient being to lay eyes on the Green Lion in ten thousand years? Check.

Get kidnapped by the Green Lion? Check.

Find out she is one of the five paladins of Voltron destined to save the universe and fly around a ship that is a castle for several phoebs? Check, and… check.

Apparently the next item on Pidge’s ‘List of Reasons the Universe Is Confusing’ was going to be being saved by a Galra soldier _from_ Galra sentries after locating the Red Lion. And then finding that same Galra soldier in the Red Lion’s cockpit with severe damage to his visual cortex and many broken bones, limp on the floor.

She did not miss how he flinched from Shiro’s touch, or how he suddenly fell limp soon after the Red Lion reverted to her inactive mode. 

Coran, somehow, managed to keep a suddenly hostile Allura and Lance away from the medbay while Shiro and Hunk set the stranger up with a healing pod. Once he was secure, Shiro murmured something to Hunk with a haunted look in his eyes and backed out of the room. Hunk and Pidge shared a quick look before the boy hurried after their leader.

Pidge sat herself down, cross-legged, in front of the occupied pod, memories of the young soldier’s expression on the ship washing over her. A tumultuous mix of confusion and panic and concern when she first ran into the room, and a brief flash of… relief? Before Green picked her up. What was that about?

She looked up at his peaceful face with a tight frown. Why had he saved her? It made no sense. The Galra they had come across during their search for the Red Lion were all fanatically loyal to the Empire. Why was this one different?

And he was obviously not all Galra either. So, a half-breed? Shiro had commented that he looked almost human, except for the ears and tail. But what were the chances of that? Alteans and humans looked pretty similar. 

Would his status as a half-breed explain his... loyalties? 

Footsteps behind her dragged her gaze from the half-Galra boy. “Coran?”

The ginger Altean crossed to the healing bay console. “What is it, number five?”

Her eyes flicked from the boy to the man. “How long will it take for him to wake up?”

He hummed thoughtfully. “It should not take more than a few vargas.”

“Will he be okay?”

“That,” he answered seriously. “Depends on how we receive him.”

The answer was vaguely ominous in light of Allura and Lance’s initial reactions, but it still felt like a weight was lifted off of Pidge’s chest. “Thanks, Coran.”

With a simple nod, he finished his diagnostic check-up and headed for the door. He called over his shoulder. “A light on the console will start blinking when time is almost up. Use the comms to alert everyone, will you?”

Then Pidge was alone in the medbay with the unconscious stranger who saved her life.


	2. People Act Entirely Different When They’re Being Racist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The soldier wakes up. Pidge is horrified by how Allura and Lance treat him. Takes place during ‘Meeting the Paladins.’

Pidge watched him stumble out of the pod into Shiro’s arms with an assessing eye. Watched how he jerks out of the older man’s grip and scrambled back, watched how he pressed his back against the wall and looked like he was almost about to hiss, watches how his ears lay flat and his tail was tucked from the moment his eyes opened. 

Shiro lifted one hand to keep the others from rushing forward as the boy swept his gaze across all of them. Pidge met his scrutiny with the same intensity. This was a telling moment. How would he react?

Lance, the idiot, did not give him the chance to, snapping angrily at Shiro. “I don’t know why you’re protecting him. He’s Galra! He’s one of their soldiers! You saw his armor.”

An unreasonable rage filled her tiny form at that, but Shiro stepped in before she could, calm as ever. “He saved Pidge. And the Red Lion seems to like him. Lance, just look at him. He’s terrified.”

“Terrified? What a joke! The whole universe knows Galra don’t feel fear. The fact that he’s duped the Red Lion only makes it worse! And how do we know he was saving Pidge and not just jettisoning her into space?”

Pidge was seriously considering punching her friend in the face because that was just _rude_ when movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She whipped her head around as the boy stood up, using the wall as support. He did not look up at any of them, only crossed his arms. “If you don’t want me to stay, you can drop me off on some wilderness planet and I’ll fend for myself.”

Only an idiot would miss that tone in his voice, the one that said _get me out of here._ But apparently the princess missed the memo, because she growled viciously at him. “And let you report to the Galra about the castle’s layout? I don’t think so.”

The Galra straightened, eyes flashing a golden-yellow so briefly, Pidge was not sure she even saw it. He snarled, showing tiny, little, nearly unnoticeable fangs. “Well, considering the fact that I’ve only been conscious in this room, I don’t think that should be one of your main concerns. Besides, as far as the Empire knows, I’m a traitor who stole the Red Lion. There’s probably an order out now to kill me on sight.”

The bitterness in his voice took them aback, and no one spoke for a moment. 

The corner of his mouth twitched up as he added, “You could do them a favor and kill me yourselves. Then you wouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

Pidge, who had been simmering through the entire exchange, finally exploded. “Who do you think we are? We’re the defenders of the universe, not murderers!”

She followed his small nod to the Alteans’ scheming expressions. “You’re friends are seriously considering it.”

“Lance, Allura.” Pidge felt Shiro’s scolding tone was too lenient, but held her tongue. “We’re not killing someone in cold blood.”

“Then what are we going to do with him?” Allura’s teeth were bared in an uncharacteristic snarl.

“I know what _I’m_ going to do,” Hunk interrupted, seemingly trying to bring some peace to the situation.

Pidge noted the half-breed’s assessing once-over of Hunk, and smiled to herself at the absurdity of his caution. Hunk was a sweetheart. He was the least menacing of all of them.

“Do tell, Hunk.” Lance snorted with unnecessary attitude. “What’s your brilliant idea?”

“I wouldn’t call it a _brilliant_ idea,” Hunk admitted, modest as ever. “But I know that whenever I get out of a healing pod, I’m starving. So I was thinking I could feed the guy? Because I know I’m not going to be much help figuring out what to do with him, since, honestly, I just want to let him go.”

Pidge agreed with the sentiment, but Allura broke in first. “But your Balmera has been under the Galra’s rule since before you were born! And now you’re going to feed one of them?”

Coran _finally_ decided to _do his quiznacking job_ and step in. “Your highnesses, think for a moment. If we were all held to what our species have done and what has happened to them, without any exceptions to the rule, well, then the three of us would be dead!” He smiled and winked at Keith. “Not to say that this lad is an exception, but we can at least spare him some food, don’t you think?”

Lance’s pout would be hilarious if not for the circumstances of said pout. “If you say so, Coran.”

“Shiro,” Allura’s said in her annoying _I’m a princess and you’re not_ voice. “Accompany Hunk and our… guest, to the kitchens. I don’t trust him as far as I could throw him. No one should be left alone with him.”

In his state, she could probably throw him pretty far, actually. Pidge studied his lean frame as he retorted with “I’m standing right here, you know.” and realized that he was extremely malnourished for someone his size. Was it a result of being a soldier of the Empire, the pods, or something else?

“Oh, we know,” Lance bristled with unwonted aggression. “Standing all the way on the other side of the room, as if that will keep you safe.”

“Nothing about this scenario looks safe to me,” he finally snapped under the pressure. “The best I can see that I’ll get out of this is being locked up here. By the moment, though, it seems more likely that you’ll sell me off to some slavers’ moon without my tongue.” 

Did he really think that? Despite Lance and Allura’s hostile display, they were not cruel people. Though his description and delivery sounded fairly specific for an example pulled from the top of his head...

He turned to Hunk, and noticeably relaxed his gaze. “Sorry, big man, but you won’t take offense if I say I don’t have much of an appetite at the moment?”

Hunk, the gem, just nodded. “Oh, yeah. Totally get it. No problem.”

Exhausted with the circles this conversation was going in, Pidge finally spoke up again. “So. What are we going to do with him?”

No one offered an answer to her question.

Actually, he was the one to break the silence, with an entirely unanticipated question. “You got the prisoners off Sendak’s ship, right?” His tone was… concerned? “They’re safe?”

“They got out of their healing pods a few vargas before you,” Shiro pulled off the gentle tone better than any of them thus far. “They’re fine.”

He visible slumped against the wall, and Pidge barely caught his muttered, “That’s great. At least something good came of all this.”

Which was confusing as well because they were _his_ prisoners, right? The prisoners of the ship he had been working on, as some sort of guard. But he cared about them.

Pidge was starting to get the feeling that he had not belonged on that ship any more than she had belonged on her home planet.

It was Shiro who finally decided to take matters into his own hands. “I’m going to take him to a spare room to rest.” He dared the Alteans to speak with his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll lock him in, but the kid’s dead on his feet. Cut him some slack.”

“I’ll help.” Hunk volunteered. “So the Princess doesn’t have to worry about you going alone.”

“And once everyone has had a chance to calm down, we can discuss more permanent plans.” 

The ex-imperial soldier winced at his words, which probably was not what Shiro had intended. She wondered if he had noticed, as he strode cautiously towards the weary stranger. The other pushed off the wall to meet them, only to nearly collapse. Shiro and Hunk hurried to support him, and he stiffened like a plank at the touch.

Pidge added Touch Aversion to her list of tells that the Empire had not been a kind place for this kid, just under Malnutrition.

The Olkari girl tracked their movement and vainly tried to read Shiro’s lips while he spoke to the suddenly-anxious boy. Eventually, they started carefully across the room.

Only to be stopped by quiznacking _Lance_ who grabbed the guy’s arm without a second thought, hissing something venomously that caused him to nod quickly and step away from even the two trying to support him. Pidge continued to watch as he stepped out the door, Hunk and Shiro hovering behind him, until the door to the medbay hissed shut.

She whirled on the Alteans. _“What was that?”_

Lance’s eyebrows arched, all trace of hostility wiped from his features as he smiled. “What was what?”

Pidge waved a hand at the door, nearly wordless. _“That?”_

The prince’s expression warped from one of amusement to one that you would get looking at something unmentionable that you had stepped in. “I’m wondering that myself.”

She glared at him. “That is not what I meant, and you know it! How could you treat him like that? You don’t even know him.”

“What we know,” Allura interjected coldly. “Is that he is Galra, and cannot be trusted.”

“Really?” She snapped, bewildered by her friends. “That’s it?”

Coran stepped in with his hands raised. “Now is not the time, your highnesses, Pidge. It is not productive to try and find a solution to a problem when emotions are running high.”

Pidge glared at the Alteans for a few more, breathless moments, before finally biting out a small “Fine” and marching out of the room. No one tried to follow her.

If no one else was going to look out for him, she might as well do it herself.


End file.
